One Last Dance
by the wandering path
Summary: Kyouya realises that there are some things that he can never bribe, threaten, blackmail or manipulate to obtain. KyouyaHaruhi, implied TamakiHaruhi. Oneshot.


**O**ne**_Last_D**ance

by Incarnadine Rose

Inspired by the last episode of Ouran High School Host Club. Because Kyouya's such an explorable character...and Haruhi is the forbidden fruit that he desires...in my imagination.

All characters belong to _Bisco Hatori, _her wit and humour is unparalleled.

xxx

_even the best fall down sometimes_

_even the wrong words seem to rhyme_

_out of the doubt that fills my mind_

_I somehow find you and I collide…_

xxx

I pride myself on being a perfectionist in every single job or work I take on.

I thrive on challenge; I prosper in success; I thirst for intricacy; I stand up to aggressors.

Even my father no longer doubts my talent, because I am K.O.

-

-

Kyouya Ootori.

Third but brilliant son of the reputated Ootori family. Class monitor, business extraordinaire, strategist.

One who never fails. One whose plans always flowed smoothly, without a hitch, no matter how much Tamaki was prone to messing them up.

I have never lost to any request, or competition.

I _cannot._

But even the best fall down sometimes.

-

-

I find myself glancing at her, seemingly entranced, as she sways and swirls, the train of her pristine dress in a shade of light peach, whirling with a sort of jubilation with each carefully maneuvered step.

Her laugh is uninhibited and contagious, her almond eyes sparkles as Haninozuka takes her on yet another wild spin across the floor. She almost shimmers in that gown which displayed her pale snow skin, as the sky approaches dusk, and the final rays of the sun diminish into twilight.

She spins across the marbled pathway, as the music relaxes to a slower, classical beat, her right hand poised gracefully in the air, like a swan, before Morinozuka steps into place opposite of her, capturing her arms, into the usual positions, as they dance to the romantic lilt of the music.

She is beautiful, not in the classical elegant lady type that I was used to seeing, but in her little, _commoner_ way, a sort of shyness and graciousness emanates as she submits to the different dance requests, but yet deep within, a strong individualistic spirit and confidence resides.

Beautiful, in her Haruhi, sort of way.

It was rather shocking how my gaze was fixated on her, and only her, carefully taking in her every curve and movement, worrying if she was perhaps unaccustomed to the high-heeled slip-ons, blind to the rest of the audience, and numbed to the requests of dances by girls who could never achieve her pinnacle of perfection.

_click_

Perfect, for someone, like myself.

Yet…

Yet I realised that I can never hold a place in her heart.

I cannot threaten, I cannot blackmail, I cannot manipulate any weakness of hers to force her heart to fall in love with me.

_click_

I find myself, ironically, at her mercy.

For once, I actually hated Tamaki with a passion, for his ability to make her falter in her steps with his appearance, to make her weak again before his very eyes, to stir up jealousy in the deepest recesses of her mind and yet so strong that she makes him feel inferior and upset. It was a balance that _only_ they possessed, one that either will give way to satisfy.

I felt incredibly unaccomplished.

Swirling the mauve-coloured wine, I let it sip into my mouth, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste. I watched amusedly as she accidentally provoked Hikaru's injury, and their dance lapsed into an awkward movement, with his left arm around her waist and his injured right arm guided gently by her left.

_click click click_

The impatient clicking of the Fall's latest Salvatore Ferragamo shoes came closer and closer.

The King has arrived.

"Haruhi!Haruhi!!!"

She smiled, her eyes sparkling with euphoria.

Tamaki bowed, and raised his right hand to ask for a dance.

I was unwilling to surrender without a fight.

A tinge of reluctance and possessiveness presented itself, and without further consideration, I instinctively cut in and clasped my hand around hers, and the other wrapped around her petite waist, despite the outright disapproval of Tamaki.

I ignore.

It was the King's turn, the _Shadow King's_ turn, to dance, with the belle.

She looked up, her features melded into a look of surprise, her mouth slightly ajar.

I was tense for that slight moment, as though afraid she would refuse, but her gaze locked onto mine and a slight tug of those pretty lips of hers indicated a welcome.

Subconsciously I noticed that her smiles were never as bright, nor as ravishing when she looked at me.

We began to dance.

Her eyes seemed to especially shimmer with a tinge of rebellious confidence as we moved, fluidly and unabashedly to the rhythm of the music. Perhaps, she wanted so badly to prove her success at finally being able to be on par with that of the wealthy, not financially-wise, but it was her first attempt to blur the line that dwelled between the silk and the cotton, to prove to me, that we were all equals in the end…

All humans, and all born with not a single yen on our bodies…nor a silver spoon.

Perhaps.

I was slightly disconcerted.

To her, our relationship, was more of a competition. Her, to catch up and to prove her standing, and me, to constantly deny her that chance. She never wavered before my eyes, staring straight back at them.

But for those precious moments, I never dared to blink, or gaze out of her face, for I was afraid, that moment would end, that my photographic memory could not capture enough of her every feature.

I realized that I was very much a hypocrite, always scorning Tamaki for his possessiveness.

Trying to keep my emotions in check, I initiated her to spin, purposefully letting her slide downwards slightly before grasping her by the waist, much to the vehement outburst of fury from Tamaki.

She never showed any sort of weakness or surprise, but concentrated on my face, a smile in place, seemingly believing that I would never disgrace her or myself for that matter.

How amazing, her capability to see through every rational thought in my mind.

Did she, then, guess my feelings for her?

Did she know I hated to let her go?

I guess not.

Alas, the music ceases, and our last dance has ended.

As I slightly pushed her back to Tamaki, I remembered Tamaki telling me that he had thought I was an ambitious person, and that I would not give up so easily.

How true, an Ootori does not give way that easily.

But an Ootori was willing to give up romance to continue the interdependent relationships between the group, so that the family, may be complete and happy.

An Ootori who knows her feelings lay with another, and that in her heart there was no place for himself, would give way.

I smiled, though it never reached my eyes.

Bowing, I admit d e f e a t.

-

xxx

The show must go on.

I grinned at Tamaki who received Haruhi easily, entrusting her into his hands. The slight frown that graced his features momentarily disappeared, and he reassured me with the confident gleam in his amethyst eyes.

_You could trust in me…_

I turned my back against them, and began to walk away, a gentle clicking of the shoes against the marble, walking away from love, that perhaps was never reciprocated in the first place.

_clickclickclickclick_

_clickclickclick_

_clickc l i c k _

_c l i c k _

_c_

_l_

_i_

_c_

_k_

At last, all was silent, but a new melody starting and the tandem of footsteps matching side, by side.

-

xxx

_even the best fall down sometimes_

_even the wrong words seem to rhyme_

_out of the doubt that fills my mind_

_I somehow find you and I collide…_

_-_

_But alas, the one who pulls you to your feet first_

_is another…_

_-_

fullstop

xxx

Please comment, thanks!


End file.
